No, no, no. I'm not talking about Greenday or Coldplay or Goo Goo Dolls. I'm talking about traditional music. Have you listen to Sarawak most famous musical instrument called Sape? I guess those never step their feet in Sarawak's land might never see or touch this traditional musical instrument. Come let's see how it looks like.

Nah, that's Sape. Traditional Orang Ulu's guitar. It has 4 strings if I'm not mistaken. I forgot. Sape, if according to history, was ORIGINALLY from Kenyah tribe. One of several tribes of Orang Ulu (upriver people). Orang Ulu has many small ethnics, like Kayan, Kenyah, Penan, Punan, Kejaman, Kelabit, Ukit, Bukitan, Lahanan, Lun Bawang and etc.

According to legend, this sape was created by Anyi Selong, a Kenyah warrior. In his dream, he saw a man played Sape. The music was so magnificent. So, he was told to play it too and from that on, the music evolved. More or less the history. And now, most Dayaks (Orang Ulu and Iban too) can play it. But of course, the Kenyah tribe is the best player among all.

Sape is heavily decorated with traditional art and the head usually crafted like a Hornbill (see picture). Besides, it needs two players to play. First player is whar we called as ''lead guitar'' and second player usually the one we called as ''bass player''.

I'm not sure how they play it, but from what I observed, the left hand to press the string and right hand for ''strumming'', just like guitar, but different strumming pattern. It used the thumb to strum (from what I observed).

Matthew Ngau. One of famous Sape player in Sarawak.

My grandpa's brother(datuk saudara la tu) also can play this instrument. And he made his own Sape. I used to hear him played Sape in the evening. Soothing music and sometimes when the music so emo, you can cry too. Ha ha ha. Seriously. I wish I can play it too. It doesn't necessary if I can play guitar, then, I can play Sape. No, it's different. Sape is truly all about listening to music. Immerse in the music. It does not has C,G,F or Am chords. It's about how you play and create a chord by your own.

Nowadays, most Sape comes with electric. So, don't worry, you can plug-in into your amplifier just like acoustic guitar. The price? Erm, I heard it's quite pricey too >.<>

Oklar, that's all I know. If you want to know more, nah, just come to Sarawak and experience yourself. Oh, don't worry, we are not going to headhunt you. Muahahahahahhaha!

p/s: I lost all my dramas and movies in my external HD due to some stupid virus, I had to reformat it. T_T

Korean pop star Uee from After School posing for Chum Churum Cool soju. The 22-year-old singer-actress is a commercial darling in Korea; her posters and ads could be seen here-there-everywhere in Seoul.

I had a tour around Burjuman area and got 'stucked' shopping at Burjuman Centre. But hey, I managed to control myself to ONLY buy one thing :p

Then, from Burjuman Centre, I walked all the way to Siraj Building. Bertuah punya Ana. She said, "Oh, it's very near already!" But it turned out my ketiak berpeluh walking all the way to her apartment! Haha. It was my first meeting with her and her roomie. Met Jah, Ola (a Nigerian brought up in UK guy), Shima & hubby and Szu Lin. After gobbling up Ana's home made dishes and watching Yes Man, Ana, Jah & your truly decided to have a little walk.

Old Souk & Gold Souk are not too far away and they are situated to what the call The Creek. We went onto the Abra (the boat) and it costs only 1 dirham to cross the river!

the 1st picture here shows nik aziz nik mat (tok guru), the MB of kelantan having breakfast. i suppose if it is the former selangor MB, his breakfast will be in a posh restaurant. after all, don't you remember, when there was this hue and cry over his million ringgit mansion (2nd pic), he was heard to say "i'm a former MB. you don't expect me to live in a small house." but wait… nik aziz, who is not a former MB but the current MB lives in a small house (3rd pic).

btw, i received the 1st picture of nik aziz having breakfast via email, with the following write-up in bahasa:

Remember, the goal of 1Malaysia as stated in Paragraph 11, page four of the (GTP) Government Transformation Plan, is to make Malaysia … ultimately a greater nation: a nation where, it is hoped, every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first...*YAWN*

I don't think PM Najib believes in his own goal of 1Malaysia. Ooops...Is it his own goal or Apco's goal?

I am not shy to admit that my marriage has been quite in a disarray these recent years.Its not something new in this matrimonial world..Happy and unhappy marriages co-exist side by side as always.Both parties are at fault one way or another..

We've always tried our very best to salvage back our broken pieces for the sake of our 7 children.Now with a very loving daughter-in-law in the picture, its about time the both of us strive to straighten our marriage and show a very good example to our children.

If we can't feel the love and trust towards each other, we must make a decision..revive back the marriage or simply just end it!I too am so mentally tired of the loud debates..its a trauma for the kids when you especially hit your 'high notes!'

No one wants unhappiness..especially at our wargamas age.But if a spouse has been quietly suffering and has been always on the lookout for a better partner, the injustice and pain imposed on the other half is so emotionally excruciating.

Its better to plan..discuss nicely which direction you really want..stop tormenting your imperfect spouse. You want the change..so be it!Wrap it up..No animosity please..the smiles must never stop.

And..no more lies..stop the nonsense..if you can't afford to be honest anymore with your spouse just let her go..and its only fair that you provide her with some funds..jangan pulak suruh lenggang lenggok keluar sehelai sepinggang.Something is also very wrong when you find comfort in confiding with other younger female strangers instead of your wife.Talking to her is such a chore but talking to other younger women is such a great pleasure..

For me, I was shocked to receive a speeding ticket of our Honda CRV at the KL-JB Lebuhraya..It was dated on..the day when my partner told me he was at Janda Baik for the blogging course a few weeks back..and I even blogged about it.

Why would he lie if he was going for a business meeting..awwh, please don't say I would not agree him shooting off to discuss some potential business..

I can say I am truly disappointed I was lied to when I was beginning to slowly trust him all over again..I was really struggling to do so..I am living with the guy who cried 'Wolf'!

So..if the bohong cannot stop then its time to end the whole charade!I cannot take this crap any longer!

p.s. I will do my best to be on good terms with you always..the choice is yours..I know you have been so unhappy for a long time..

If the love is almost gone..you are free to quickly find another, for life is too short and one should not suffer the deep pain of loneliness and disdain.You have my sincerest blessings!Be happy..And I will always thank you for your utmost kindness and sweet love once a upon a time!

Financial Planning is getting popular in this modern age. Like it or not, we have to learn to manage our wealth well so that we may be financially free.

Financial planning encompasses earnings, savings and investments with the aim to make your wealth grow.

Investments in this era are getting increasingly sophisticated. We have to manage our risks well if we do not want to get caught in straits. Take a look at the financial tsunami in 2008 that swept across the whole globe and you would appreciate my point better.

I have been invited by MAF of Ai Ming Methodist Church to give a talk titled "Financial Planning and Investments" on April 24 (Saturday) at 7:30 pm. Young adults and adults are getting pretty keen on wealth matter nowadays.

This is going to be the first time I go on stage to give talk on financial planning. All my previous talks centered on the contemporary economic issues.

It really is open season on Israel, isn't it? While Iran's jihadi rulers continue their drive for nuclear weapons, while Syria transfers thousands of missiles to Hezbollah, while leaders of the Palestinian Authority glorify Islamist terrorists, the New York Times finds President Obama's "willingness to challenge Israel . . . refreshing.""The question," Times editorial writers add, is whether Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu "is able or willing to lead his country to a peace deal." That's the question?

Meanwhile, the Simon Wiesenthal Center is building a "Museum of Tolerance" in Jerusalem. Who could criticize such a project — except perhaps on the grounds that most of those living in or passing through Jerusalem already value tolerance? By contrast, a Museum of Tolerance in, say, Riyadh (where churches and synagogues are outlawed), or Cairo (from which Egyptian Jews have fled and where the ancient Christian community is increasingly oppressed), or Tehran (where the Baha'i are among the religious minorities most brutally persecuted) might push the envelope. Nonetheless, the fraudulently named U.N. Human Rights Council claims that the museum is being constructed on sacred Muslim soil. Never mind that the building site — in West Jerusalem, not "Arab" East Jerusalem — has been used for decades as a municipal parking lot by Jewish, Muslim, and Christian motorists alike, with Muslim religious authorities voicing no objections.

But the cruelest cut in recent days was made by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who called on Israel to "continue building momentum toward a comprehensive peace by demonstrating respect for the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians, stopping settlement activity, and addressing the humanitarian needs in Gaza." She implored Israeli leaders "to refrain from unilateral statements and actions that could undermine trust or risk prejudicing the outcome of talks." To reveal the razorblades embedded in this diplomatic apple, begin with this question: What "momentum toward a comprehensive peace" could Clinton possibly have in mind, considering that since President Obama came to office no senior Palestinian leaders have been willing to sit at the same table with Israeli leaders — as they had in the past?

As for Palestinians' "legitimate aspirations," in 2000 and again in 2008, Israeli leaders offered a grand bargain: an independent Palestinian state in all of Gaza, more than 95 percent of the West Bank, and a capital in East Jerusalem. In exchange, Israelis asked only for an end to the conflict and guarantees of future security. Palestinian leaders turned them down cold. Then there's Clinton's reference to "humanitarian needs in Gaza," a territory ruled by Hamas, designated a terrorist entity by the U.S. government and closely allied with the theocrats in Tehran. Hamas's leaders have said — repeatedly and unambiguously — that they intend to use all and any means to exterminate Israelis. They believe this to be their religious obligation. Despite that, Israel supplies fuel, food, and medicine to Gazans. What other nation has ever done that for an entity waging a genocidal war against it?

Finally, Clinton talks about Israelis undermining trust. On what basis are Israelis supposed to trust people who say they want to slaughter them — and do so whenever they get the chance? As for Mahmoud Abbas, chairman of the Palestinian Authority, his "moderate" Fatah political faction continues to celebrate jihadi terrorists including, recently, Dalal Mughrabi, a bus hijacker who massacred 37 Israeli civilians — 13 of them children. Abbas's government television station recently broadcast a sermon calling Jews "enemies of God and humanity." The sermon continued: "The Prophet says: 'You shall fight the Jews and kill them. . . . Thus, this land will be liberated only by means of Jihad.'"

When Clinton was a U.S. senator representing the state of New York, she seemed to appreciate the existential threat Israel faces day after day. When she was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, she seemed to grasp that, as a matter of both principle and policy, the United States needs to stand up to its enemies and stand up for its allies.

In a stinging rebuff to Najib's remarks made two days ago, Anwar told the PM to cease "casting aspersions" on his character and PKR through devious tactics and lies.

"Stop making insinuations. If Datuk Seri Najib has something to say, then be man enough to say it.

"It is very demeaning for a leader of a political party, let alone the prime minister, to hide behind turncoats like Zahrain and Zulkifli," said Anwar, referring to Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohd Hashim and Zulkifli Noordin, two former PKR MPs who have recently become independents.

In a statement sent to The Malaysian Insider, the Opposition Leader argued that Najib had been on a character assassination campaign against him and PKR ever since the start of the Hulu Selangor by-election campaign.

"Stop casting aspersions on my character and the party through such devious tactics, including employing the resources of the government machinery to disseminate lies and slander," said Anwar.

In a ceramah two nights ago, Najib issued a coy warning to his rival Anwar, claiming he now knew "everything" about the latter and PKR.

He alleged that independent MPs, Zahrain and Zulkifli had exposed everything to him during recent their trip to the United States for the Malaysia-US caucus.

"PKR is now in a state of discord because we know all their secrets. In my visit to Washington, two independent MPs followed me — Zahrain and Zul."

"At night, after an official function, he came to my room and exposed all the stories. Now, I know the entire story."

"Everything, right down to the underwear, too. I know everything now," Najib had said.

He also claimed that the opposition were constantly "covering up the truth", but did not elaborate on the matter.

Zahrain and Zul were among the four MPs from PKR who had exited the party to become independents recently.

Both had subsequently dropped bombshells in Parliament when they exposed Anwar's supposed Sept 16 takeover plan and a ploy to link Najib to the murder of Mongolian model, Altantuyaa Shaaribuu.

Anwar, in turn responded today by pointing out that the various accusations hurled at the Prime Minister had yet to be answered and accused Najib of failing to address all the unanswered questions.

"I have already openly accused Datuk Seri Najib of being tainted with the Scorpene corruption scandal and the failure to deal with all the unanswered questions in the Altantuya murder, not to mention the other issues plaguing the nation and the people," said Anwar.

According to the PR leader, Najib is currently resorting to spreading rumours, instead of tackling serious matters like answering all the allegations levelled at him.

Personal attacks between BN and PR have intensified over the past week, as the country heads into its latest by-election in Hulu Selangor. Candidate hopefuls Datuk Zaid Ibrahim of PKR has been accused of having low morals due to his admittance that he drank alcohol in the past while MIC candidate P. Kamalanathan has been labelled as an Umno lackey, and has also had his academic credentials challenged. -TMI

I was visiting Grace last Friday evening when we ended up talking about her work. She runs a business but at the same time, she is also helping out with the Vietnamese workers who come to Malaysia.

Grace is in a very special position to help her fellow Vietnamese friends – she herself is Vietnamese and she speaks both English and Vietnamese. She is also kind and warm and nurturing.

Talking to her was such a breath of fresh air because she truly shines with optimism despite the hardships she sees happening to Vietnamese workers who come here to work. In her eyes, there's a fire of compassion and gutsiness.

She and her husband both volunteer with Tenaganita where they help with court cases involving Vietnam nationals. It helps that her husband is a lawyer who is proficient in Vietnamese too.

She recounted tales of how Vietnamese girls were duped to work in Malaysia. When they arrive, they are immediately sent to East Malaysia (Sabah particularly) to work in massage parlours. In these seedy joints, they are forced to become prostitutes to service male clients. They cannot escape as their passports are held by the 'agent' who brought them into this country.

One Vietnamese girl braved herself to get help by contacting Vietnam through fax. Eventually she was rescued.

But she's only one of the lucky stories.

What about the unlucky ones who never get a chance at freedom?

Another case was of male Vietnam workers who came to work in Penang but their employer never pays them their salaries, withholding the salaries for a reason. And because their passports again are held by their agent, they have no means of escape. And they still work 12-hour days.

"But how do they live if they have no money?"

Grace gives a grim smile. "They borrow from their fellow Vietnamese friends. They live on credit."

Through a network of friends, some are lucky enough to get in touch with the organisation that Grace volunteers for. Then comes the tedious process of making police reports, going to court, getting their passports back and all that jazz.

Human trafficking in Malaysia is a serious matter. Malaysia always gets into the news for the wrong reasons and we're in Tier 3 in the 2007 U.S. Department of State's Trafficking in Persons Report.

Reason? For not fully complying with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act's minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and not making significant efforts to do so.

Accordingly, "Malaysia is destination country for a significant number of men women, and children who are trafficked from Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma, and the People's Republic of China (P.R.C.), India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan for sexual and labor exploitation. Many victims voluntarily migrate to Malaysia to work in factories, construction and agricultural sectors, or as domestic servants, but are later coerced into debt bondage or involuntary servitude."

It's a sad fact.

It's happening under our very noses. Sometimes we don't know it because we don't come across people like Grace. Sometimes we live in our middle-class world, ensconced in our material comforts and don't bother to know.

Another friend also works closely with the poor. And he told me that he was shocked beyond belief when he visited a squatter area which had burnt down not too long ago in Seberang Perai.

"I couldn't believe this is Malaysia," he said.

He saw the poor in their wrecked hovels, with nothing to call their own and who had lived for decades without running water or proper sanitation system. And no one did anything to help them. Initially when he and his friends went to help them by giving them food and blankets, the poor were suspicious. They looked at outsiders with unfriendly eyes and they didn't feel comfortable talking to them. Many didn't go to school because they did not have birth certificates! Their fathers were drunkards. This wasn't a Tamil movie. This was real life and it was unfurling before my friend's eyes.

He's trying to help in the ways that he can.

And that is why I am grateful for him and Grace and countless others who have the heart to help people we normally don't see in our everyday lives.

These folks are under the radar. They are not visible to us because they live in a totally different world from us.

But it brings home a concept we take for granted: freedom. Freedom from poverty, freedom from bondage, freedom from modern-day slavery.

Someone has posted a comment quoting me as a seller of weapons (I suppose an agent) who has been trying unsuccessfully to market weapons to the government. He says that I represent a company called Vita Berapi Sdn Bhd.

Through this blog, I wish to dispute the comments made by the person with the pseudonym MINDISNOTME, because I have never been a weapon agent nor ever been going around Mindef or anywhere else to sell weapons. Yes, I work for Vita Berapi but in a different capacity.

Vita Berapi is licensed company by the government to undertake R&D on small arm weapons. The company started the R&D in 2005, initially working with weapon designers from Balarus. In 2007 we employed a local weapon designer to take over the function of designing from our foreign designers who left the company at about the same period.

Our weapon designs are solely Malaysian and we have completed the first phase of development, and hope to move on with the second phase i.e. the production of the commercial-ready prototype. Please remember that these are prototypes and we have another two more stages of R&D work before we are confident of coming out with the final product. This may take up to 2 to 3 years (or even more), depending on funding.

We have not talked about where our markets are going to be, but we decided to proceed with the R&D since we felt that it is our corporate responsibility to begin the small arms weapon industry to support the country's defence industry. As of now we, have developed a total of 5 working prototypes, and we are pleased with the results.

I am offering my readers to visit me at anytime to be briefed on the project. I believe the more people are aware of our project, the better it is. What we need now is the people's support, beside that of our government, to see that our indigenous small arm weapons industry is fully realized.

I do hope MINDISNOTME fully understand my work now, and to discard me as a weapon agent. And so if MINDISNOTME ever sees me loitering in Mindef, I can assure him that it is not about selling weapons, but to brief the authorities on the project.

Actually I accompanied Encik Ramli Samah, who introduced me to many UMNO ministers and deputy ministers. The best part was, we just set at the parliament lobby, once the VIPs noticed Encik Ramli, they approach us with the smile or with a greeting. Encik Ramli then introduced them to me. I had posted earlier about the late Tan Sri Mohd Yakub, who was the Senate President invited us for the high tea once he recognized me that I had treated his wife once. He even invited me to visit Kelantan and to stay at his house. He was the BN Chief Minister once.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian computer users were apparently spared when a McAfee antivirus update went awry on Wednesday, reportedly causing PCs all over the world to keep rebooting.

A check with several businesses and organisations in the Klang Valley by The Star yesterday came up with zero victims.

This could be because local businesses and other PC users depend on other brands of antivirus.

The Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) said its 400-plus computers were not affected. "The operating system on our PCs is not the one targeted by the McAfee update," a spokesman for the organisation said. MDeC is the custodian of the MSC Malaysia initiative.

Software giant Microsoft Malaysia also reported that it was unaffected. A company spokesman said its customer support service did not receive any queries from PC users about the problem.

Chip maker Intel Malaysia declined to comment. The New York Times had reported that Intel Corp in the United States was one of the companies hit by the defective update, according to a ZDNet blog (http://bit.ly/cvSa4c).

Any business or individual affected by the flawed update can get the manual fix from McAfee's website http://bit.ly/akIYik and from Star TechCentral, http://bit.ly/8ZdTwv. McAfee is working on an automated fix for the problem.

Wire service AFP reported that a routine antivirus update from McAfee confused a valid Windows file with a virus on Wednesday, disrupting computers around the world.

It was reported that the problem hit corporate users of Microsoft's Windows XP Service Pack 3 operating system.

McAfee released another update later in the day to fix the problem. But by then, the US-based Internet Storm Center, which monitors web problems, said it had received reports of networks with thousands of downed machines and organisations that had to shut down business until the problem was fixed. The Star

June 2007 file photo of Franklin Graham (left) and his father Billy. — Reuters pic

WASHINGTON, April 23 — The US Army yesterday withdrew an invitation to a Christian evangelist to speak at a Pentagon prayer service next month following an outcry over his references to Islam as a violent religion.

Franklin Graham, the son of famed evangelist Billy Graham, said in a statement he regretted the Army's decision and would keep praying for US troops.

The invitation prompted a harsh reaction, including from a prominent US Muslim group that said Graham's appearance before Pentagon personnel would send the wrong message as the United States fights wars in Muslim countries.

In an interview last year with CNN, Graham said "true Islam" was too violent to be practised in the United States.

"You can't beat your wife. You cannot murder your children if you think they've committed adultery or something like that, which they do practise in these other countries," he said.

"I don't agree with the teachings of Islam and I find it to be a very violent religion."

The interview can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByovBdIRV2o.

The Army said it did not invite Graham to the May 6 event organised through the Pentagon Chaplain's office. The invitation was instead extended by the private, Colorado-based National Day of Prayer Task Force.

"Once the Army leadership became aware that Rev. Graham was speaking at this event, we immediately recognised it as problematic," said Colonel Tom Collins, an Army spokesman.

"The bottom line here is that his presence would be inappropriate. His past statements are not consistent with the multi-faith emphasis and inclusiveness of this event."

Graham acknowledged the decision, saying in a statement: "I will continue to pray that God will give them guidance, wisdom and protection as they serve this great country."

The National Day of Prayer Task Force called the Pentagon's decision part of an "assault on religious freedom and people of faith" driven by groups including the government and media.

"The Pentagon, representing the most powerful military in the world, melted like butter and withdrew the invitation," it said, citing opposition by "a small group of naysayers."

President Barack Obama and the military have repeatedly sought to assure the Muslim world that the US fight against insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan should not be viewed as a war against Islam.

Former President George W. Bush heightened those concerns shortly after the Sept 11 attacks on New York and Washington in 2001 when he referred to his war on terrorism as a "crusade," a remark critics warned raised images of Christian knights attacking Muslim cities during the Middle Ages.

Franklin Graham gave the benediction at Bush's 2001 presidential inauguration and famously declared after the Sept 11 attacks: "We're not attacking Islam but Islam attacked us." He called Islam a "very evil and wicked religion."

This year, the military discovered a US arms manufacturer had embossed biblical citations on rifle scopes sent to Afghanistan and Iraq. The manufacturer halted the practice.

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which also voiced outrage over the rifle scopes, wrote a letter of protest earlier this week to Defence Secretary Robert Gates over Graham's invitation.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations said the invitation was damaging to the US image.

"To have an individual who calls Islam evil and claims Muslims are enslaved by their faith speak at the Pentagon sends entirely the wrong message," said the group's national executive director, Nihad Awad. — Reuter

Following is an excerpt of explanation by Joshua Wong on his resignation:I have on April 20 resigned as producer for ntv7's talk show 'Editor's Time'.

I am dissatisfied on the way the company has handled two complaints which came from the Prime Minister's Department and the First Lady (Rosmah Mansor). The complaints came after the airing the programme's Kuala Lumpur roadshow (March 19) and Penang roadshow (April 8).

The company, without conducting due investigation, set unreasonable restrictions for the talk show on the issues to be discussed as well as those to be invited as panel speakers.